At home materials Year 6 Week 5 to 8€¦ · Write your own poem about a time you have helped...

Week 5

I have written answers to my reading questions in full sentences.

I have written my own poem about helping someone in need.

I have read and answered the grammar questions carefully.

I have practised the spellings and used some in my own sentences.

At home materials

Year 6 Week 5 to 8

Week 6

I have read the story carefully and answered the questions.

I have produced an interesting written advert (1-2 paragraphs).



Week 7


I have re-written the chapter in the past tense (in summer).



Week 8


I have written the next page of the story telling what happens next.



Copyright © English Mastery 2020

Using these materials at home

These packs include the wonderful resources from:

This booklet consists of weekly tasks in all areas of English: reading, writing, grammar and spellings.

How do I use the booklet?• Set aside time each week to complete the tasks. You don’t have to do one

every day.

• Take your time to read and understand the extract. Ask an adult if you need

help understanding the text.

• Read the instructions and questions carefully before you start a task.

How do the lessons work?Below are some suggested timings for each lesson:•Reading - 30 minutes (including time to re-read, look up words and ask questions)•Writing - 45 minutes•Grammar - 5 minutes •Spelling - 10 minutes

Can parents, carers and siblings help?Yes, of course! Family members can help in the following ways:• Read the extracts with you aloud.• Gather all the exciting and difficult words you want to find out about or use in your writing and put them on display.• Help you with the planning of a story • Write a story at the same time as you. You could then compare your stories and check each other’s writing.

What else can I do if I love reading and writing and Iwant more of a challenge?

• Keep writing stories using your own ideas. • Explore www.lovereading4kids.co.uk or www.newsela.com to find other extracts

to read and write about.

http://www.lovereading4kids.co.uk/

http://www.newsela.com/

Reading

Read the Poem ‘Promise’

1. Who is the poem talking about?

2. How does mum help?

3. Why do you not notice ‘them’?

4. Why does mum say you should help people?

Extension: Find out about the homeless charity Crisis. What do they do and how do they help? Create a leaflet to share what you find.

Week 5: Reading and writing prompts

Be the Change - Promise

Writing

Write your own poem about a time you have helped someone in need.

❑Looks and sound like the original poem

❑Tells a different story to the original poem

❑Same length as the original

GrammarCircle the four prepositions in this sentence. On a mountain

bike, you can cycle across rocky ground, along muddy paths

and over harsh terrain.

Circle the four verbs in the passage below. There were

hundreds of gulls circling in the sky. They gathered near the

dock, searching for scraps.

Circle the possessive pronoun in this sentence. When Mum saw

that I was wearing Oliver’s gloves, she wanted to know where

mine were.

Underline the subject of the sentence below. The tightrope

walker carried a balancing pole.

Rewrite the two sentences as one sentence using an appropriate co-ordinating conjunction. We have time to play a

game. We will have to finish it before dinner

Spelling

Practise each word. Choose two and write their definitions.

Choose two to write in sentences.

Week 5: Grammar and Spelling prompts

foreign

forty

frequently

government guarantee

harass

hindrance

identity

immediate(ly)

Reading

Before reading:

Predict. What do you think the story might be about based on the name of it? Write 2-3 sentences.

During reading:

Write a list of names - every new character you meet.

After reading:

Which character do you think is the most important and why? Write 4-5 full sentences

Week 6 : Reading and writing prompts

Monstrous Devices - Prologue

Writing

Design an advert.

Draw the toy the girl desperately wants. Then write a paragraph describing the toy in detail.

• All we know is that the toy is a ‘him’.

• What does it look like?

• How big is it?

• What does it do?

GrammarWrite two sentences for each word. First, use it as a noun. Then, use it as a verb.tower picture spell

Rewrite this passage so it is in present tense. The translucent leaves fluttered in the breeze as the deer grazed amongst the foliage. As one, they went across the glade and ate every last flower.

Circle all the adverbs in this passage.Unfortunately, Sarah lost the game of snakes and ladders to her sister. They play often, and usually Sarah won. This time, she narrowly missed out. Sarah wanted to play again, but her sister decided to read.

Rewrite this sentence in active voice.The penguins were chased by the hungry polar bear.

Rewrite this sentence using direct speech. Remember to use inverted commas.Hamza said that I could borrow his copy of the book.

Spelling




neighbour

nuisance

occupy

occur

opportunity

parliament

persuade

physical

prejudice

privilege

Reading

On page 1:

1. What are the workmen struggling with?

2. What is the small girl wearing?

On page 2:

1. Find and copy a word or phrase that shows how the man and the girl are feeling.

2. Find and copy three things that are in the toy shop display.

On page 3:

1. Why do you think the girl flips the sign from open to closed?

2. What do you think ‘a cluttered cosmos of toys’ means?

3. Abruptly is closest in meaning to:a) slowlyb) suddenlyc) calmly



Writing

Re-write this chapter in past tense. Change the season to summer.

GrammarInsert the correct prefix: use re- or anti-

_____play _____social ____appear

Write a synonym for these words. Then write sentences using each of your words.

shout hot small angry special

Write two sentences for each word. First, use it as a noun. Then,

use it as a verb. flood bargain heat

Rewrite this passage in the future tense. I go to the shop on

Monday. It is raining, so I take my spotty umbrella and wear my

matching coat. I browse for a while and buy some chocolate

and a magazine. I get home and curl up on the sofa.

Circle the modal verbs in these sentences.

a) Tomorrow, I might go to the cinema although I know I should

complete my homework.

b) Sarah will make it to the end of the marathon.

Spelling




profession

programme

pronunciation

recognise

recommend

relevant

restaurant

rhyme

rhythm queue

Reading

On page 3:

1. The small man looks ‘shabbily dressed’ except for one thing. What is it? (Write 1-2 full sentences)

On page 4:

1. Mockingly is closest in meaning to:

a) sadly b) sarcastically c) happily

2. Why does Beckman have tape on his nose? (2-3 full sentences)

On page 5:

1. What object that is ‘sharp, silvery and slivery’ do you think is in the man’s hands? +Why? (2-3 full sentences)

2. How do you think Beckman is feeling?

a) happy b) scared c) anxious d) upset



Writing

What do you think might happen next? Write the next page of the story. Remember to describe the one thing that happens next.

❑1 full page

❑Describe the one thing that happens next in detail

❑Words and phrases sound like the original story

GrammarWrite two sentences for each word. First, use it as a noun. Then, use it as a verb.stand watch play

Select the correct word for the sentence.a) Zabeer didn’t know whether / weather to go to the zoo or not.b) Fiona saw the cue / queue and decided not to wait.c) I tried to steal / steel my brother’s last sweet: I failed.

Write an antonym for these words. Then write sentences using each of your words.friend freezing ancient shimmering

Rewrite each sentence using contracted forms of the underlined words. Remember the correct punctuation.a) You are in trouble and will not go out to play today.b) Happily, they are now all safely back in their enclosure and are

not able to escape again.

Insert relative clauses into these sentences. Use correct punctuation.a) Shauna fed the cat.b) Jacob cut the paper.


Spelling



secretary

shoulder

signature

sincere(ly)

soldier

stomach

sufficient

suggest

symbol

Extracts

Be The Change poems

Extract from lovereading4kids: find out more

about the book and the author

Monstrous Devices

Extract from lovereading4kids: find out more

about the book and the author

Liz Brownlee does readings and workshops, with her assistance dog, Lola, at schools, libraries, literary and nature festivals. She has fun organizing poetry retreats, exhibitions and events, and runs the poetry website Poetry Roundabout. She is a National Poetry Day Ambassador.

Matt Goodfellow is from Manchester. He spends his time writing and touring the UK and beyond visiting schools, libraries and festivals to deliver high-energy, inspirational poetry performances and workshops. Before embarking on his poetry career, Matt spent over 10 years as a primary school teacher. He is a National Poetry Day Ambassador.

Roger Stevens visits schools, libraries and festivals, performing his work and running workshops for young people and teachers. He is a National Poetry Day Ambassador, a founding member of the Able Writers scheme with Brian Moses and runs the award-winning poetry website www.poetryzone.co.uk for children and teachers.

Be the Change

BeTheChange_BPB_MME_text.indd 1 15/07/2019 17:45

MACMILLAN CHILDREN’S

BOOKS

Other poetry titles from Macmillan Children’s Books

The Same Inside

Reaching the Stars

by Liz Brownlee,

Matt Goodfellow Roger Stevens


MACMILLAN CHILDREN’S

BOOKS

by Liz Brownlee,

Matt Goodfellow Roger Stevens

SM to add new title a/w


First published 2019 by Macmillan Children’s Booksan imprint of Pan Macmillan

20 New Wharf Road, London N1 9RRAssociated companies throughout the world

www.panmacmillan.com

ISBN 978-1-5290-1894-3

This collection copyright © Liz Brownlee, Matt Goodfellow and Roger Stevens 2019

The right of Liz Brownlee, Matt Goodfellow and Roger Stevens to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in

accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means

(electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Pan Macmillan does not have any control over, or any responsibility for, any author or third-party websites referred to in or on this book.

1 3 5 7 9 8 6 4 2

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available fromthe British Library.

Printed and bound by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon CR0 4YY

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not,by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out,

or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consentin any form of binding or cover other than that in which

it is published and without a similar condition including thiscondition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

For Bob Alderdice and Rob Bostock, educating the next generation – M. G.

For Emmelie and Jem and all our children’s children – L. B.For the bees. Good luck! – R. S.


For Bob Alderdice and Rob Bostock, educating the next generation – M. G.

For Emmelie and Jem and all our children’s children – L. B.For the bees. Good luck! – R. S.

ContentsWays to Change the World 1

Start Now Matt Goodfellow 1

Captain Save-the-Planet Roger Stevens 2

Munch, Crunch, Packed Lunch . . . Liz Brownlee 4

Couch Superstar Matt Goodfellow 6

Promise Roger Stevens 8

Are You Flushed? Liz Brownlee 9

Richest Boy in the World Roger Stevens 10

Funny Fruit and Wonky Veg Matt Goodfellow 11

Ways I Have Raised Money for Charity This Year Matt Goodfellow 12

Recycling Paper Liz Brownlee 14

Grandad’s Tomatoes Roger Stevens 16

Poem for Amina Matt Goodfellow 18

My Favourite Thing Liz Brownlee 19

Glitter Quitter Matt Goodfellow 21


Things Not to Throw in the Ocean Roger Stevens 22

Ex-Specs Matt Goodfellow 24

A Message to You Roger Stevens 25

Greta Thunberg Liz Brownlee 27

The Greenway Roger Stevens 29

The First Matt Goodfellow 31

It Sucks Matt Goodfellow 34

Garden Treasure Liz Brownlee 36

People Are Amazing Matt Goodfellow 37

Always in My Pocket Roger Stevens 39

Feeding the World Liz Brownlee 40

It Could Be You Matt Goodfellow 41

The Natural World 42

Congratulations Matt Goodfellow 42

The Dodo’s Lament Roger Stevens 43

Lone Blue Whale Liz Brownlee 44

Thank You Roger Stevens 46


vii

Cows Liz Brownlee 48

Help Needed Roger Stevens 50

Jelly Wishes Liz Brownlee 51

Biodiversity Roger Stevens 52

The Sea Speaks Matt Goodfellow 53

Orangutan Liz Brownlee 54

Conservation Conversation Matt Goodfellow 56

Food Chains Liz Brownlee 58

Walk in the Woods Roger Stevens 60

Snow Leopard Liz Brownlee 61

Symbiosis Matt Goodfellow 63

Tricky Questions, Talking Points 64

Hunger Liz Brownlee 64

Who Owns Planet Earth? Roger Stevens 65

Equality Matt Goodfellow 67

Fleeces Liz Brownlee 68

The Bottom Line Roger Stevens 69


viii

Crossing the Road Roger Stevens 70

City Liz Brownlee 72

Toilet Talk Matt Goodfellow 73

It’s a Skin Thing Matt Goodfellow 74

Getting to the Truth Roger Stevens 75

Windmills on My Mind Liz Brownlee 77

No Joke Matt Goodfellow 79

Weathering Weather Liz Brownlee 80

Listening Bench Roger Stevens 82

A Polar Plea Liz Brownlee 84

Dump It Roger Stevens 85

Let Us Save the Planet Roger Stevens 86

Snow Liz Brownlee 88


1

Ways to Change the World

Start Nowbe the change you want to see walk the walk stand with me

take the challenge spread the wordwe can make our voices heard

every single action helps with a friend or by yourself

be the change you want to see walk the walk stand with me

Matt Goodfellow


2

Captain Save-the-Planet

I am Captain Save-the-PlanetI am GREENNot green like The Green LanternNot green like The Incredible HulkNo, I am green like the forestslike grass, like fernsand the green, clean airthat blew across the planetlong agoI am Captain Save-the-PlanetI am strongNot strong like my arch enemy Radioactive

Manwho burns the skywith invisible raysNot like Coal Power Manwho spews out deadly fumesNo, I am strong like the windturning a million wind turbinesI am strong like the sunheating a million homes


3

I am Captain Save-the-Planetand I am looking for an assistantWould you care to apply?

Roger Stevens

What would your planet-saving superpower be?


4

Munch, Crunch, Packed Lunch . . .

Your packed lunch canif you plan ithelp to save ourailing planet,you’ll be savingjust by scrappingstraws and packets,plastic wrapping,get an eco box or twomade of wheat strawor bamboo,put in your lunch and with no oilthe shut-tight lidwon’t let it spoil,banish crisps and juice in boxes,fill with wraps


5

and nuts and coxes,sliced ham rolled up(roast or parma),blueberries, grapesor a banana, carrot sliceseggs and cheese,pizza pieces pickled peas,naan bread sarnies,carrot crunch,sustainablesustaining lunch!

Liz Brownlee

Packed lunches contribute to a lot of unrecyclable waste products. You can help! See how creative you can become making lunches with no plastic packing whatsoever. Have a competition each week to see who has brought the greenest lunch to school! Use a reusable water bottle for drinks. Sometimes a reusable plastic box is the only solution; but these can last a long time.


6

Couch Superstar

If changing the world seems far-fetched and crazy

because, frankly, my dear, you’re incredibly lazy

more likely to yawn and stretch on the sofathan strap yourself in to the change

rollercoaster

here’s an idea you mustn’t forget: there are ways you can help without breaking

a sweat

put on a jumper, keep thermostats low get a blanket and rug – feel that warm, cosy

glow

switch electrical equipment off at the wallnow you’re part of the change with no effort at

all


7

just two tiny things, but look what you are:a champion of change - a couch superstar

Matt Goodfellow

You can help! Check out the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals website for more tiny things you can do which make a big difference.


Promise

You see them in doorwaysyou see them in parksthere are so many of themthat after a whileyou don’t even notice themWe were in Nottingham and one of themplayed a tune on a toy xylophoneand Mum put a five pound notein his cupMum saysas you grow upyou’ll find that life doesn’t always turn out as plannedYou have to help peopleif you can

Roger Stevens

Crisis, a charity for the homeless, says the latest figures showed that 4,751 people slept rough across England on any given night in 2017.


9

Are You Flushed?

Flushing loos will use a quarterOf your day’s amount of water‘If it’s yellow, let it mellow’Science says just let it beSave the planet, save your wee!

Liz Brownlee

You can help! Yes, it’s true – scientists say that it is fine to leave your wee in the loo, and saving water saves energy as well as water, because it has to be pumped through pipes every time you turn on a tap or flush the toilet. You can also save water by turning off the tap in between rinsing your toothbrush.


Richest Boy in the World

Miss Moss divided the classproportionallyby the wealth in the worldJohn was one of the hundred multi-billionaireswho owned halfof all the world’s moneySix of the class were reasonably well offThe rest of us were the millions of really poor people and some of us couldn’t even afford a place to liveAfter the lesson, at playtime, I asked John for a

crispand he gave me the whole packetand he said, If I do get rich, when I’m grown up, do you know

what?I won’t forget you.

Roger Stevens

The richest 1% of the population in the UK own as much as the poorest 55% of the population.


11

Funny Fruit and Wonky Veg

make a change with a simple pledge: pick funny fruit and wonky veg

different looks same great taste now none of it need go to waste

Matt Goodfellow

1.3 billion tonnes of food is wasted in the world each year. In a pile it would be roughly the same size as the mountain Ben Nevis. Wonky fruit and veg tastes the same! Does it matter? Food production takes a massive amount of the planet’s resources such as oil and water. Disposing of waste also uses energy. You can help! Embrace ugly fruit and veg!


12

Ways I Have Raised Money for Charity This Year(or attempted to)

Shaved Dad’s eyebrows and half his moustache off

(in hindsight it would have been better to ask him first and not do it while he was asleep the night before an important business meeting with his new boss)

Dyed my hair pink and wore pyjamas to school(again, possibly should have checked with the Headteacher, Mrs Jones, that this was OK – she nearly fainted when she saw me)

Did a sponsored run around the school field with Stephen

(who had to stop after one lap because the cut grass was playing havoc with his hay fever and he got stung by a wasp)


13

Made 12 iced fairy cakes to sell at playtime (left them on the kitchen worktop where they were gobbled up by Frankie, the French Bulldog, who was then violently sick on Mum’s fluffy slippers)

Matt Goodfellow

Please protect your mum’s slippers before raising money for charity.


1

A P RO LO G U E I N P R AG U E

SNOW IS FALLING on the city of Prague.

Soft white against a sharp black skyline, it dances around

the castle spires and wisps past the patient statues of the

church of St. Nicholas. It flurries over fast-food restaurants’

glowing signs, drifts down on cobblestones, tarmac and tram-

lines. Old women in headscarves shiver and street vendors sell-

ing hot sausages stamp their feet in Wenceslas Square. Bleary

young tourists’ teeth chatter outside bars in the Old Town.

A tall man and a small girl stalk through the snow. The

man wears a long black coat and a homburg hat. He clutches

a cane. The girl’s black coat reaches her ankles, where purple-

and-black-striped socks disappear inside heavy black boots.

She looks nine or ten, with a pale, round face framed by long

black hair.

They cut briskly across the Old Town Square: past grum-

bling workmen struggling to erect a huge, eighty-foot Christmas

Monstrous Devices_UK Text v8 Anglicised.indd 1 03/12/2019 17:04:14

DAM I E N L O V E

2

tree; past the house where a famous writer lived an unhappy

life long ago; past an ancient cemetery crammed with graves

like a smashed mouth filled with broken teeth.

For each of the man’s long strides, the girl must take three,

yet she easily matches his angry pace. The city grows older

around them as they walk. The light is fading, the day turn-

ing blue beneath a heavy slate sky. The snow is beginning

to lie. It crumps under their feet. It frosts her hair like icing

sugar. It gathers in the nooks and crannies of the strange

metal straps that encase each of his boot-heels like heavy

surgical supports.

They come eventually to a narrow street, barely more than

an alley between ageing buildings, dark, save for a single yel-

lowy light burning in a shop window bearing a sign painted in

cheerful red:

b e c k m a n ’s t o y s

Behind the words, heavy red curtains frame a dusty display.

Monkeys wearing fez hats brandish cymbals. Ventriloquists’

dummies leer secret smiles at blushing Victorian dolls. Black

bats hang from black threads alongside ducks with propellers

on their heads and wooden policemen with bright red noses.

Machine guns and ray guns, farting cushions, furry spiders and

fake bloody fingers.

A line of robots marches through this chaos. Tiny cowboys


3

MON S T ROU S D E V I C E S

and cavalrymen battle rubber dinosaurs at the feet of fat tin

spaceships.

The man in the long black coat pushes open the door, usher-

ing the girl in ahead. A bell actually rings, a pleasing old sound

of polished brass in the musty dim as they step inside. Around

them, the little shop is a cluttered cosmos of toys. Squadrons of

fighter planes and hot air balloons swarm the ceiling. Sailboats

and rocket ships patrol shelves. Teddy bears are crammed into

corners with rocking horses and dogs on wheels. Bright things

new and old, of plastic, lead and wood, fake fur and cheap

metal.

When they are certain there is no one else in the shop, the

girl flips the sign from open to closed. Snapping the lock, she

stands with her back to the door and folds her arms.

The man strides to the counter, heading on towards the back

room, when a figure emerges from in there, pushing through

the rattling hanging beads holding scissors and a roll of brown

tape. A small man with severely cropped grey hair and big,

round glasses, thick lenses reflecting the light, shabbily dressed

but for an incongruously bright-yellow-with-black-polka-dots

silk scarf knotted at his throat. A torn-off strip of brown tape

hangs from the end of his nose.

“Snow is falling,” this little Beckman sings in a high burble,

still frowning down at the tape in his hands. “Christmas is

coming—”

Looking up to blink happily at his visitors, he stops abruptly.


DAM I E N L O V E

4

The roll of tape drops from his hands. He swallows with dif-

ficulty.

“Eh . . .” He licks his lips. “Did you get him?”

The girl solemnly shakes her head. Pouting a frown that

mockingly mirrors Beckman’s own, she twists her knuckles at

the corners of her eyes in a boo-hoo pantomime, before refold-

ing her arms.

Beckman swallows again as the tall man leans across the

counter.

“You had it.”

“No. Please. I-I can explain,” Beckman begins, backing

away.

The man looms farther over him, reaching out a sharp, pale

hand. Beckman flinches, grabs protectively at the scarf around

his neck and lets out a girlish shriek – it could be the word

no – as the man rips the tape from his nose. Beckman laughs,

a nervous and treacly too-loud giggle. He pretends to relax as

the tall man rubs the tape into a ball between his slender grey

fingers and lets it drop.

“Tape,” Beckman babbles. “On my nose. Always I’m putting

it there. Forgetting. Packaging up a gift. A horse. Going to a

little girl in Germany. Near my old hometown. A lovely little

horsey. For a lovely little girl.”

He tries a grin on the girl. It curdles and dies as she glares

back. She picks a toy revolver from a shelf. Still unsmiling,

she aims at him, pulls the trigger. Without a sound, a tiny flag

unfurls from the snout bearing a single word: bang.


5


“Now,” Beckman stumbles on, faster. “Please. I can explain.

Yes, you just have to believe me . . .” He trails off. In the toy

shop silence, he has heard a small, distinct click.

Now the girl starts smiling.

“You had it,” the tall man in black says once more. “And you

let it go.” He raises his arm again and there is something small

and sharp, silvery and slivery in his hand, arcing down through

the warm reddish air as all the monkeys and cowboys and

ducks and dogs and dolls look on with their glass and painted

eyes.

For the next few seconds, the sounds inside this toy shop

are muffled and breathy, desperate, wet and horrid.

Outside, snow is falling on the city of Prague.

Lights are flickering on in the streets and squares and up in

the mysterious windows of the high castle. White globe lamps

glow along black bridges over the river, reflections restless in

the cold, dark water.

The snow falls.

People hurry through the streets and it covers all their

tracks.


6

I.

T H E G I F T

“THIS ONE IS special,” his grandfather had told him. And it

was.

Alex sat at his desk, alone in his bedroom, gazing at the old

toy robot that stood beside his laptop, when he should have

been looking at the screen.

The cursor blinked impatiently at him from his unfinished

composition on the symbolism of the novel they were reading

in English. He had started to write about decaying teeth, then

given up. He didn’t know what decaying teeth were supposed

to symbolise, except maybe decay. He couldn’t stretch that to

eight hundred words.

The computer’s clock showed 11:34 p.m. He leaned and

pulled back the curtain. Outside, snow fell from a low and

heavy British sky, grey clouds stained orange by drab suburban

streetlights. A thin, grey-looking fox ran into the small back

garden, something white in its mouth. The animal stopped,


7


dropped whatever it was carrying, then lifted its head and

barked out its harsh and awful cry.

As always, whenever he heard that shriek, Alex felt a chill

crawl up his spine, over his scalp. The loneliest sound in the

world.

The fox stood, head cocked. It screeched again. Faintly,

Alex heard another, higher, answering bark. The fox picked up

its food and trotted off. The friendless sound was not so friend-

less after all.

His computer chimed and his phone vibrated. On each,

eight new messages. From eight different people. All saying

the same thing:

YOUR GETTING IT PATHETIC FREAK

He deleted them, looked at his essay, typed some words,

deleted them. He leaned back heavily in his chair.

His eyes settled on the photograph of his father on the wall

above his desk. The only photograph he had ever seen of him.

“Never liked anyone taking his picture,” his mum always said

when she looked at it, in the same sad, apologetic tone.

It showed the two of them, his dad and mum, caught in

a red-black party haze. His mum young and happy, with bad

hair. His dad behind, half turned away, blurring in the shad-

ows. A vague, tall man, black hair pushed back from a high

forehead. For the millionth time, Alex found himself squinting


DAM I E N L O V E

8

at the picture, trying almost to will it into focus. For the mil-

lionth time, the man refused to become any clearer.

His gaze returned to the robot. A small, bright army of

these things lined three shelves above his desk, tin and plas-

tic toy robots of all shapes and sizes, from all corners of the

world. Battery-operated and clockwork, some new, the majority

decades old. Many still in their deliriously illustrated boxes, or

standing proudly beside them.

A few he had found himself, in charity shops and online

auctions. Most, though, the oldest and strangest, the most fan-

tastic, had come from his grandfather, his father’s father, who

had started his collection and his fascination.

The old man picked up these toys on his travels around the

globe and this newest robot – or rather, this oldest, for Alex

sensed it was very old indeed – had just arrived out of the blue

a few days earlier: a brick-shaped package in the post, brown

paper tied with string, his grandfather’s spidery scribble across

the front. The parcel bore stamps and postmarks Alex didn’t

recognise at first – Praha, Česká Republika – and when he tore

it open, he discovered newspaper scrunched up as wrapping

inside, printed in a language that made no sense to him.

There was a plain white postcard, too, with his grandfather’s

scrawl, elegant yet somehow hasty:

Greetings from sunny Prague!

What do you say to this ugly little brute?


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At home materials Year 6 Week 5 to 8€¦ · Write your own poem about a time you have helped...

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